It's been a crappy day. Hell, it's been a crappy week and a half (and counting) so far. I've been doing everything I can to try and hold myself together and keep up an appearance of zen-like "I have my shit together folks". I've been doing my health practitioner part by eating good, soul nourishing foods; taking myself out for walks / meals / time with friends; talking kindly to myself like a good practitioner would to a patient; and just being patient with myself on my less than stellar morning starts.

And the last minute cancellation that happened a few hours ago was that last shoe to drop this week and I'm finding myself sliding into a pretty %#* headspace and feeling bad that I just can't seem to resist the gravitational pull of sitting in a puddle of tears and tissues while wrestling away the lid of a pint of ice cream (which has to be vegan now that I can't eat eggs or dairy - crap!)

I was supposed to start the week off with a triumphant radiant glow, havin...

Yang Sheng. 

Nope, it's not the name of a master meditator/martial artist/holy monk who lives in the woods. 

It's a concept; a philosophy of living; and when practiced on a daily basis, becomes part of the fabric of your daily routine. It isn't really a singular task that you do and check off at the end of the day. It's really more of the way you approach your tasks and the mindset (or your attitude) that you take when you go through the mundane, daily motions of living. And what powers the beating of the heart of the concept of Yang Sheng? The idea of nurturing and self care.  

OK. Maybe I'm making this sound a little too simple. Or so simple that it just becomes downright confusing (sorta like when Mr Miyagi tells Daniel in the Karate Kid to "wax on, wax off" in typical zen-like fashion, while teaching him karate - and poor Daniel wonders how the heck any of this stuff even relates to real life!)

This is where I come in and do my typical filibuster...

I know, I know. My bad. (I just wrist slapped myself so, THERE! We're even stevens....still friends??)

I know I keep saying that I'll be posting a little ditty about taking it easy and demonstrating the concept of "Yang Sheng" as a means of "keeping things balanced" in life and not letting life be all about too much action and no rest. Oh what a major hypo-critter I am as my summer has been all about the action-packed and uh...well, not so much about the "R an' R" aspect of life.

{Aside note: For all you acugeeks out there (YOU know who you are!!) who are curious, "Yang Sheng" is pretty much a way of life and living; where one "cultivates one's spirit" and "nourishes one's life" as a way to prevent disease (and all that nasty stuff that could kick your health out of kilter) and keep your body, mind and spirit healthy and, equally as important, responsive to all the things that life can throw at you.} 

So really, the point and purpose of this short little interim article is...